Raúl Lavié (born August 22, 1937) nickname ''El Negro'', is an Argentine entertainer prominent in the

Tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries from a combination of Arge ...

genre.

Life and work

Raúl Alberto Peralta was born in

Álvarez Álvarez or Álvares may refer to: People *Álvarez (surname), Spanish surname Places * Alvares (river), a river in northern Spain * Alvares (ski resort), in Iran * Alvares, Iran * Alvares, Portugal * Álvarez, Santa Fe, a town in the province of ...

, located in the

Rosario Department The Rosario Department (in Spanish, ''Departamento Rosario'') is an administrative subdivision (''departamento'') of the . It is located on the south of the province, with its eastern border coinciding with the provincial border along the Paraná ...

of the

Santa Fe Province The Invincible Province of Santa Fe (, , lit. "Holy Faith") is a Provinces of Argentina, province of Argentina, located in the center-east of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise Chaco Province, Chaco (divided by the 2 ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

in 1937. He first sang on a local radio station in 1955 and was subsequently invited to perform on ''Radio Belgrano'' and ''Radio El Mundo'' in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

. Enjoying early popular acclaim, he gained his first professional contract with

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

in July 1957, by which he recorded with

orchestra leader Héctor Varela. Touring the country with fellow vocalist Rodolfo Lessica, he was, by then, known to his public as Raúl Lavié. Recording for Phillips with orchestra leader

Héctor Stamponi Héctor Luciano Stamponi (24 December 1916 – 3 December 1997) was an Argentine tango composer, pianist, and arranger. He composed, among others, the tangos ''El último café'' (1963, with lyrics by Cátulo Castillo) and ''Qué me van a hablar d ...

in 1959, the following year ''Radio Libertad'' launched the ''Raúl Lavié Show'', his first as a host. Introducing a succession of young musicians to listeners, in 1962 these contacts helped earn him a spot in a new, teen-oriented

musical comedy Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

series, ''El Club del Clan''. Playing a self-confident social animal, Lavié's vocal talents came through in his Spanish-language interpretation of

Paul Anka Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter and actor. His songs include " Diana", “ You Are My Destiny", “Lonely Boy", " Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and " (You're) Having My Baby". Anka also wr ...

standards, among others'. Days before the first episode, in September of that year, Lavié was granted an interview by news anchor

Lidia Elsa Satragno Lidia Elsa Satragno (11 November 1935 – 8 December 2022) was an Argentine actress and politician, where she was popularly known as Pinky. Early life and career Lidia Elsa Satragno was born in the western Buenos Aires suburb of San Justo in ...

. Recently separated from his first wife, Lavié courted the television host, who was already a household word in Argentina by her nickname, "Pinky." The couple married in 1965 and had two sons. Widely popular during its 1963 season, ''

El Club del Clan ''The Clan Club'' (''El club del clan'') is a 1964 Argentine film directed by Enrique Carreras. Cast * Cachita Galán *Palito Ortega * Violeta Rivas *Johny Tedesco Johny may refer to: * Johny, a character in the nursery rhyme "Johny Johny Yes ...

'' was produced for the

cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ** Filmmaking, the process of making a film * Movie theate ...

in 1964. The show, however, quickly lost favor among its fickle teen audience and it was canceled later that year. Partial to the melancholy Tango, Lavié returned to the genre, recording with

Osvaldo Fresedo Osvaldo Fresedo (May 5, 1897 - November 18, 1984), nicknamed ''El pibe de La Paternal'' ("the kid from La Paternal") was an Argentine songwriter and director of a tango orchestra. He had one of the longest recording careers in tango history, from ...

and

Horacio Salgán Horacio Adolfo Salgán (June 15, 1916 – August 19, 2016) was an Argentine tango musician. He was born in Buenos Aires to an established Afro-Argentine family. Some of Salgán's most well-known compositions include ''Del 1 al 5 (Días de pago)'' ( ...

, among others. Lavié was soon cast in a number of

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

roles, debuting on the stage at the National Comedy Theatre in

Gregorio de Laferrère Gregorio de Laferrère (March 8, 1867 — November 30, 1913) was an Argentine politician and playwright. Life and work Gregorio de Laferrère was born in Buenos Aires to Mercedes Pereda, a local heiress, and Alfonso de Laferrère, a prominent Fre ...

's ''Locos de verano'' (''Summer Madness''). His performance earned him an invitation to

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

, where he was cast in the title role in a local production of ''

Man of La Mancha ''Man of La Mancha'' is a 1965 musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, music by Mitch Leigh, and lyrics by Joe Darion. It is adapted from Wasserman's non-musical 1959 teleplay '' I, Don Quixote'', which was in turn inspired by Miguel de Cervan ...

'' in 1968. His 1964 film role also opened doors for Lavié in cinema and he starred in 17 films in subsequent years, notably

Lautaro Murúa Lautaro Murúa (; 29 December 1926 – 3 December 1995) was a Chilean-Argentine actor, film director, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the most recognized figures in Argentine cinema. Born in Tacna, Chile (now part of Peru), Murúa mov ...

's ''Un guapo del 900'' (''The Cad'') in 1971 and

Leopoldo Torre Nilsson Leopoldo Torre Nilsson (5 May 1924 – 8 September 1978), also known as Leo Towers and as Babsy, was an cinema of Argentina, Argentine film director, producer and screenwriter. Born as Leopoldo Torres Nilsson (he later changed his paternal s ...

's ''

Boquitas pintadas ''Heartbreak Tango''Puig, Manuel. ''Heartbreak Tango''. Penguin Classics, 1996, p. 1. (original title ''Boquitas pintadas'' in Spanish: "Little Painted Mouths") is a novel by Argentine author Manuel Puig. It is Puig's second novel published fir ...

'' (''Painted faces'') in 1974. His marriage with Pinky became strained, resulting in their separation in 1974, and he subsequently married his current wife, Laura Basualdo. Continuing to perform in the theatre, as well as a tango vocalist and film actor, he accepted the leading roles in

Bob Fosse Robert Louis Fosse (; June 23, 1927 – September 23, 1987) was an American choreographer, dancer, filmmaker, and stage director. Known for his work on stage and screen, he is arguably the most influential figure in the field of jazz dance in th ...

's ''Pippin'' and in

Nikos Kazantzakis Nikos Kazantzakis (; ; 2 March (Old Style and New Style dates, OS 18 February) 188326 October 1957) was a Greeks, Greek writer, journalist, politician, poet and philosopher. Widely considered a giant of modern Greek literature, he was nominate ...

' ''

Zorba the Greek ''Zorba the Greek'' (, , Life and Times of Alexis Zorbas) is a novel written by Nikos Kazantzakis, first published in 1946. It is the tale of a young Greek intellectual who ventures to escape his bookish life with the aid of the boisterous and m ...

''. Touring internationally in 1985 with Claudio Segovia and Héctor Orezzoli's ''Tango Argentino'', Lavié's voice remained in great demand among Tango fans in Argentina and elsewhere. He joined Tango dancer

Juan Carlos Copes Juan Carlos Copes (31 May 1931 – 16 January 2021) was an Argentine tango dancer, choreographer, and performer. He started dancing with Maria Nieves when he was 17 and she 14, and the pair later married. Copes and Nieves played a leading role ...

and the cast of Manuel González Gil's ''De Borges a Piazzolla'' on their international tour in 1997 and returned to

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

with ''Tango Argentino'' in 1999. He returned as

Don Quixote , the full title being ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'', is a Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts in 1605 and 1615, the novel is considered a founding work of Western literature and is of ...

in a Buenos Aires revival of ''Man of La Mancha'' in 2005, for which he received the Golden Ace, a prestigious Argentine award in the world of theatre. A versatile actor, he accepted the role of "Toddy" (a homosexual man) in a 2007 Argentine production of ''Victor/Victoria''.''El Pais''
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lavie, Raul 1937 births Living people Argentine male actors Argentine people of Spanish descent 20th-century Argentine male singers Argentine television personalities Singers from Rosario, Santa Fe Illustrious Citizens of Buenos Aires Tango musicians